October 23, 2009 2:00 PM

Fake Drug Agents Charged with Sex Assault

Police in Virginia say three would-be bounty hunters face charges after they impersonated drug task force agents and nabbed the wrong woman.

The innocent woman was mistaken for a suspect who had skipped bond. Bristol police say three people who hoped to collect a reward from a bail bondsman handcuffed the woman and sexually assaulted her during a strip search Oct. 9.

Sgt. Steven Crawford said the three face charges of abduction, robbery, impersonating a law enforcement officer, conspiracy and sexual battery.

Two of the suspects have been arrested, and police are searching for the third. A fourth person has been charged as an accessory.

The innocent woman caught by the suspects was taken to a lockup but let go when jailers quickly realized she wasn't the person wanted for skipping bond.

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